Online slot machines are very popular all over the world. Plenty of people choose them in casinos, placing bets on them. The increase in the popularity of gambling has led many countries to enact more and more stringent, rigorous laws. One such country is Poland, where the law is not very friendly to gambling players. So what is the situation with gambling and slot machines in Poland?

The history of gambling in Poland

Poland, unlike the United States, Monaco or Great Britain, does not have such a big history related to gambling. The first casino in Poland was established in 1920 in Sopot in the Grand Hotel. At that time, however, it was a place that was administratively under the Free City of Gdańsk. Technically, therefore, it is difficult to talk about it as the first Polish casino. After World War II, when Poland was under communist rule, typical gambling was banned. It is true that you could use the lottery, Lotto, some sports betting, but roulette, poker, other card games, and then slot machines were illegal. Over the years, underground casinos were created, which of course operated illegally. This situation continued until the end of the 80s. At that time, significant political changes took place in Poland. This country opened up to the world, including gambling.

At the turn of the 1980s and 1990s, the first casinos were built in Poland, mainly located next to well-known hotels. It was then that many people had their first contact with roulette or slot machines. Soon, hundreds, thousands of places with slot machines appeared in Poland – often illegal. They could be found mainly in bars, where people under the influence of alcohol were more likely to bet. They were also present in pubs, restaurants, discos, as well as many other places. Today is so simple, check this list – https://nowekasyna.com/casinos/trustly.

Of course, having so many slot machines in the country that were not taxed was not good for the government. That is why legal changes began to be made. The first major one took place in 2009. This was due to the growing popularity of online casinos. These appeared in Poland after 2004 when the country became a member of the European Union. It was then that a lot of online casinos began to create branches in Poland and Polish versions of internet sites. Lots of people started playing online slots or placing bets at foreign companies. After 2009, online casinos were considered illegal in Poland, and playing at them could be associated with high financial penalties. Another change took place in 2017, but more on that a little later.

Online gambling and slots in Poland after 2017

The mentioned year is the amendment of the gambling law. At that time, some of the regulations were abolished, and some were even more stringent. Online casinos are still considered illegal if they do not have a license from the Ministry of Finance. Classic slot machines can be used only in dozens of official casinos and government gambling venues. The new changes allow the government to block online casino sites and those that advertise them. This is why access to foreign casinos is much more difficult. Poles can use one official casino that has a government license. However, just one casino is definitely not enough for experienced players.

What about the legality of the slots?

In Poland, there are 3 types of slots that are legal:

• Online slots – available only at the only legal online casino. Unfortunately, compared to foreign casinos, the Polish online casino has several times fewer online slots, which makes many interesting games unavailable to players.
• Free slots – Most online slots are available on the web in demo versions. These are games identical to those in casinos, however, you cannot bet money on them with real money. They should be treated as a form of simulation, fun, and training. Using them is fully legal. More and more of them are also available on mobile, both via websites and applications.
• Land-based slot machines – In Poland, there are several dozen casinos and even more official points for playing slot machines. You can also play here legally, but for real money.

All other online slots that are used to play for money should be considered illegal in Poland. Experts are wondering if it would be a good idea to let some online casinos into the Polish market. The gray zone brings huge losses to the government every year. If some of them gained licenses and paid taxes in Poland, it could change a lot on the local gambling market.

At the moment, there is little indication that the gambling law in Poland may be changed, especially to be more player-friendly. It is important to remember that many players, as well as the casinos themselves, avoid the country ban. Players use VPNs and casinos keep changing website addresses like casinoxx36 to casinoxx37. Of course, the described case is about when we play in a casino in Poland. However, the situation is different when we are in a country where gambling is legal. As people from Poland, we do not break the gambling law then, because we are subject to local regulations.

Summary

Poland is one of those countries where online casinos certainly do not have good conditions for development. Only one legal online casino, official slots salons, make access to such games difficult. That is why for years a lot of people decide to play in foreign casinos because they can count on many more online slots, as well as promotions, and no taxes. Let’s hope that in the coming years, the gambling law in Poland will be changed and there will be the legalization of slot machines for real money.